David Thorstad wrote:
I live on
the farthest north edge of the wild turkey's original range (northern
Minnesota), where white settlers wiped out the native bird, now being
reintroduced by the Department of Natural Resources--with a little help
from myself and a few others. The Ojibwe traditionally use wild turkey
feathers in some of their rituals. I will be curious to see how many
survive the generally harsh winter.
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The map also does not indicate signs of turkeys out west.
Interestingly enough, I was on Mt. Madonna in northern california
recently for a training. There were plenty of old logging roads for
hiking there, as the center is located in the middle of a redwood
forest. While hiking one day I counted 28 wild turkeys, 21 females and
7 males. Whether they are the remnants of turkeys who had been
brought there by humans and had since escaped into the wild, or were
part of a larger migratory pattern, I have no idea. The fertile
landscape of the area is certainly a good abode for them. In terms of
harsh winters and survival rates, during my six years living in and
around Potsdam, NY, we had wild turkeys everywhere. They certainly
seemed to be doing fine, even among some very harsh winters, where
temperatures can descend to -40 degrees F.
Greg